Man assaulted teen, threatened him with knife in B.C. community: RCMP

Authorities arrested a 38-year-old man after he allegedly assaulted a teenage boy and threatened him with a knife in Mission, B.C., this week.

The 14-year-old victim was sitting on a concrete barrier near 11 Avenue and Stave Lake Street on Monday afternoon when a stranger pulled him down off the perch, Mission RCMP said in a news release.

"A passing motorist witnessed the assault and stopped to intervene," the detachment wrote. "The suspect allegedly pulled out a knife and threatened both the youth and the witness, before putting the knife back into a sheath and walking away."

Officers managed to find a suspect at a nearby bus stop and arrest him. Justin Corey Ryan has since been charged with assault with a weapon, assault, carrying a concealed weapon, and uttering threats.

He was released from custody under several conditions, including that he not possess any kind of weapon.

Authorities said their investigation remains in the early stages, and they have not determined a motive for the alleged assault. Cpl. Harrison Mohr said the incident was a "frightening encounter" for the child and bystander.

"It’s fortunate that no one was hurt,” said Mohr, in a statement. “We appreciate the quick efforts by the witness to try to help the youth, then to back away and call 911 when the situation escalated further. Witnesses also did a great job of keeping an eye on the suspect from a safe distance until police arrived, which helped in quickly taking him into custody.”

The RCMP asked anyone with information on the incident to contact the Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161.